Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Am I Special?

By Marian Li, Toppel Peer Advisor

The
University of Miami prides itself in its diverse campus, but when it comes to
majors, there can only be so many. It’s important to know what makes you
special, what makes you stand out and it’s even more important to be able to
show it. Ask yourself, “What differentiates me?” or “Why would someone hire me
over the next person?” Lots of people have good grades, leadership positions,
and good work experiences; those are “table stakes”, you don’t get
opportunities without that. So what gets you that higher hand? With all of
Toppel’s upcoming events with employers it’ll be imperative to have your pitch
ready to stand out among all the other young, fresh suits.

Commitment and Drive – Are you going to do what you say?
Employers don’t want to worry about tasks after they’ve been delegated. If a
connection is given – hint hint, a business card – they expect a follow up. Be
mindful of the timeliness of these emails. Express gratitude and a genuine
interest in the company and what they do. Giving evidence of hard tasks done
well is a good indicator of your drive and work mentality. Employers will be
impressed with things that require sustained, difficult effort. These examples
can come in all various shapes and sizes: Eagle Scout or a Peace Corps
Volunteer, even a marathon finisher or a founder of a non-profit.

Spark – Is there something about you that
is engaging? Do you make the employer want to continue the conversation and
learn more about what you have to say? Of the three qualities, this is probably
one of the more subjective topics and truly depends of the eyes of the
recruiter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare. When talking to employers,
be engaging and conversational. Be present in the discussion and practice
active listening.

Curiosity – Do you want to know how things
work and how you can improve them? There are two types of people in this world:
followers who take orders well and emerging leaders who are able to reach their
own insights and build upon what is given. What the employers look for is if
students have pushed to learn and become an expert. Taking classes outside of
your discipline or the nitty-gritty classes such a programming impress
potential employers. Plus it builds your skillset so there’s nothing but
positives.

Professional Passion – People reveal a lot about
themselves when talking about their passions. You yourself may not notice it
but it can be a change in your tone or a livelier look in your eyes. Having a
passion implies that you can do the work and sustain it because of your genuine
interest in seeing it all the way through.

Trying to
figure out who you think someone else wants you to be is a fool’s errand. It’d
be a better investment of time to look inward to find what makes you the most
impressionable candidate on the floor. Happy job hunting!